Tempted to correct, but..........

[Samai139]

When I notice errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, facts, in a thread, I have two reactions:

1. I am tempted to correct them, but don't.

2. The value of the post is slightly diminished in my mind. Reason? The writer is either careless or ignorant of usage or facts and that bothers me.

Am I just being pedantic or are there others out there who feel the same?

[Bosguy]

Being a former high school teacher, it also bothers me. I try to be extremely conscious of my own, but do make more mistakes than I would like. I certainly don't think it is ignorance or carelessness, but rushing to post our thoughts.

 

Boston Bill

[Kevin Slater]

I ignore several posters on this board who abuse the "quote" keys or neglect the enter/return key. I assume it's a reflection of their intelligence and therefore they have nothing worthwhile to say.

 

Kevin Slater

[wayout]

Most of us have all made one of those mistakes at one time or another so I try to not to have a negative reaction but sometimes I have to admit that I do, especially for those posters who make the same mistakes over and over again. I try to give the benefit of the doubt to the poster whenever possible and think it may be the result of being rushed (not taking time to correct mistakes or doing a quick review to make sure it makes sense), those damn small keypads on mobile devices resulting in mistyping and/or English not being the native language of a poster. Of course it is also possible it is just laziness or people who didn't pay attention in grammar class during school. Sometimes it is so very difficult (and frustrating) to get through the mistakes/errors that I give up trying to understand what they are trying to say. The mistake, depending on how egregious it is, can certainly detract from the message.

 

Recently I was writing a message on my mobile device and the program used predictive text so by the end of the message there were about half a dozen words that it had used that made the message totally incomprehensible. As I was in a rush and wasn't paying my usual attention or did a review before sending, it went out and I was very embarrassed. I learned my lesson and try to be more careful but just an example of how things happen, totally unintentionally.

 

I don't believe I have publicly or privately corrected anyone for their error as I am not sure it is my place to do so and I am not sure it is worth the potential negative reaction it might provoke.

 

Wow, I am a bit self conscious as I write this and hope I didn't make any mistakes

[maxwellissmart]

When I notice errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, facts, in a thread, I have two reactions:

1. I am tempted to correct them, but don't.

2. The value of the post is slightly diminished in my mind. Reason? The writer is either careless or ignorant of usage or facts and that bothers me.

Am I just being pedantic or are there others out there who feel the same?

 

I don't think you're being pedantic—but I tend to be concerned with content than with AP style (or whatever the message board equivalent is). That said, there are some posters who appear to be drunk most of the time.

 

And thank God for the "edit" button.

 

[gallahadesquire]

Poor grammer and / or speling iis something up with which I shall not put.

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

I cringe when I find that I've submitted a post with an error and now make an effort to read it again after posting it. I frequently take advantage of the edit function.

 

The biggest grammatical issue that causes me to skip a post is when one paragraph takes up the entire screen on the monitor. I read through enough legal language in my day job that it causes me to have flashbacks to work when I'm here for information and entertainment.

[+ Lucky]

I make so damn many mistakes when I type. I go over it and still miss things. Thank goodness for the red that warns us, but I often miss that too. My biggest mistake is typing words with letters reversed- dyslexia?

I will write "wrtie" or other words with the same mistake frequently. I never learned to type. That I do now is the product of the internet requiring me to.

That said, I do appreciate a well-thought out post, as well as a well-written one. I tend to gravitate toward those who do write consistently well. I think many here are great writers- Juan Vancouver and raulgmanzo are very well-spoken escorts.

The list of non-escort posters who write well is long, but remember Will? He really wrote some good posts.

One thing I have noticed is that if I disagree with someone, I am less offended if his post is well-written. BgMstr4U comes to mind...our politics aren't the same, but he always makes his case well.

[seeker630]

The occasional typo or grammatical error doesn't bother me - I often make typos (most of which I correct after posting, I think.) And occasionally I find that my brain was moving faster than my fingers and I omitted a word. As long as I can discern the meaning of someone's post, I'm generally ok with minor errors.

 

I find the excessive use of quotes somewhat bewildering, but I grit my teeth and forge ahead. I'm more irritated when the style obscures the message - if I have to read a sentence twice or parse it to determine its meaning.

 

And, if a single block of text takes up half the screen, or if a post in its entirety fills the page, I'm likely to pass it by.

 

[fyi: I've corrected 4 errors in this post already.]

[rvwnsd]

When I notice errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, facts, in a thread, I have two reactions:

1. I am tempted to correct them, but don't.

2. The value of the post is slightly diminished in my mind. Reason? The writer is either careless or ignorant of usage or facts and that bothers me.

Am I just being pedantic or are there others out there who feel the same?

 

I share those sentiments. In fact, I felt that way the first time I read this post. Then I realized the grammatical and punctuation errors were intentional. I had a good laugh at myself, edited my original reply, and hit the "post" button.

[Epigonos]

If I have sufficient time I write my thread posts on word first. I then reread them several times before cutting and pasting them on the forum. Even with the assistance of word-check I find that I will on occasion include a typo such as “if” instead of “of”. In haste I will even leave out a word or two. The one thing I try to keep in mind is that when posting here, I am not writing a doctoral dissertation.

With the advent of the internet we are rapidly eliminating the distinction between spoken and written language. Some may not like the language evolution we are currently experiencing but it isn’t going to improve it is only going to get worse. Many of the old linguistic and cultural standards that many of us have loved are dying and there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it.

[Guest countryboywny]

I'm very probably guilty as charged with my grammar. I tend to post as I would be speaking so I do have a lot of run-on sentences, and I use a lot of ... (three dots) to continue a thought, but trying to break off a run-on sentence. Sorry to all that this offends, but it's a more "comfortable" way for me to express my thoughts.

 

Now, having said that, I'm a pretty good speller, and user of the correct word. Things that bother me are when someone writes "I use to have a red wagon." The word is "I used to have." Also, using "there", "their", and "they're" incorrectly. "There" is a place, "their" is possessive and "they're" is a contraction for they are, for example 'I asked them where there going. They said their getting in they're car and going for a ride." Should be "I asked them where they're going. They said they're getting in their car and going for a ride."

 

But none of these things makes me not read a post, or pass judgement about the writer.. If I can understand what they're trying to say, it's good enuf four me.

[Khakis]

Poor grammar, poor spelling, and poorly constructed writing taint the writer with an inverse halo effect. I'll never be able absorb the message without assuming the messenger is stupid, careless, or both.

 

I place most of the blame for a decade of further decline on IM and text messaging, where speed is valued over editing.

 

My nephew just pledged a top-tier fraternity at a flagship southern university, and the brothers haze their pledges mercilessly on grammar. My nephew had to run laps in the rain twice for an its/it's mistake in two text messages. Perhaps the fratboys understand that we must speak and write clearly, convincingly, and correctly to be taken seriously.

[zeyfur]

Aslong as I can understand what people are trying to say, and the whole post is not one huge paragraph, I have no problems.

[Guy Fawkes]

Ain't Autospelling fun?

 

It's not my fault!

 

http://damnyouautocorrect.com/images/hotlips.jpg

[+ Charlie]

I am so used to reading papers written by non-native English speakers that I ignore most of the mechanical/grammatical errors in posts here, unless they create real confusion. If I can understand the poster's point, I see no reason to correct him, unless the error is unintentionally amusing. However, I am self-conscious about my own posts, and since, like Lucky, I never learned to type, I make many typographical errors, so I have to use the edit function frequently.

 

What does disturb me is the number of answers I am now seeing from intelligent students who write in text-language even on essay tests ("4score & 7 yrs ago, r 4fthrs...").

[+ purplekow]

I am of the why use two paragraphs when one will do school of writing. This is partially due to the frequency of lost posts I have had when parsing sentences or evaluating paragraphs. It seems a slip of the finger and the entire post is gone. My writing also takes many a confusing turn as I try to cram as much verbiage as I am able into one sentence. Stylistically, this is not the way I would write a letter, business or personal, nor is it the way I intend to write the next great American novel. However, as I am usually writing at some god awful hour and have indeed fallen asleep in mid sentense (writing it not reading it, reading it is usually envigorating) I am amazed sometimes that the words make sense when I am done.

 

 

Ultimately, I look for content over style.

[gp0560]

Things that bother me are when someone writes "I use to have a red wagon." The word is "I used to have." Also, using "there", "their", and "they're" incorrectly. "There" is a place, "their" is possessive and "they're" is a contraction for they are, for example 'I asked them where there going. They said their getting in they're car and going for a ride." Should be "I asked them where they're going. They said they're getting in their car and going for a ride."

 

Ah, the infamous they're/their/there issue. Also you're/your, although probably not yore. But my biggest pet peeve is it's/its, which I see so often even in the "best" papers and magazines and blogs.

 

But who learns from our finger-wagging? Alas,

[MsGuy]

What does disturb me is the number of answers I am now seeing from intelligent students who write in text-language even on essay tests ("4score & 7 yrs ago, r 4fthrs...").

 

Charlie, please tell me you were engaging in hyperbole to make your point, even if you have to lie. I'm begging, man; I'd much prefer to go to my grave in blissful ignorance.

[Samai139]

Thanks to all those who replied to my original post, Learned (learnt, as the Brits would say) a lot about my shortcomings. I shall definitley keep my posts/replies shorter and more carefully paragraphed, if there is such a word. I shall also be much more tolerant when reading posts and appreciate the meaning and not nit pick.

I wish rvwnd (if that is correct) had posted his original comments, because, I did not deliberately make spelling, grammatical, punctuation mistakes and can always use correction.

[+ Charlie]

Charlie, please tell me you were engaging in hyperbole to make your point, even if you have to lie. I'm begging, man; I'd much prefer to go to my grave in blissful ignorance.

I kid u not.

[wayout]

 

What does disturb me is the number of answers I am now seeing from intelligent students who write in text-language even on essay tests ("4score & 7 yrs ago, r 4fthrs...").

 

I would like to think (hope) that teachers are not so tolerant of these types of answers and would try to maintain some standards.....or is it that most believe it is more important to get the answer correct than how it is presented? Very interesting to think how written language/communication is changing...and in my opinion not for the better.

[Epigonos]

Wayout I’m afraid you hope is in vain. I taught in a public high school for over thirty years and was always amazed at how little English grammar English teacher knew let alone taught. Their constant litany was that they were teaching contemporary communication skills not “old fashioned” grammar.

 

In my final years of teaching I taught a senior level Advanced Placement class and was dumbfounded to learn that many of my students had NEVER sat down with an English teacher to review and correct one of their papers.

 

I was sitting in the teachers lounge one day with a foreign language teacher and the term predicate nominative came up. The English Department Chair sitting next to us, in all sincerity, ask what the hell a predicate nominate was.

[Samai139]

I also taught for many years and although not a language arts (yech, hate that term) or English teacher, I had to prepare my students to write essays for exam questions. I was often amazed when my students would tell me that their English teacher did not require this or that or allowed this or that. Sometimes I wondered if the students were just "playing" me to try and get away with something. Then in the faculty dining room one lunch period I used the term metaphor and discovered that two of the younger English teachers did not know what the term meant and could not give an example after a definition was given.

 

That floored me, but what these teachers revealed next really amazed me. Neither one had been required to take a course in Shakespeare, although both were English majors. Both had gone to reputable liberal arts colleges where they were given carte blanche in selecting courses. Far cry from the old days when a core curriculum was standard in most colleges and universities.

[seeker630]

Wayout I’m afraid you hope is in vain. I taught in a public high school for over thirty years and was always amazed at how little English grammar English teacher knew let alone taught. Their constant litany was that they were teaching contemporary communication skills not “old fashioned” grammar.

 

In my final years of teaching I taught a senior level Advanced Placement class and was dumbfounded to learn that many of my students had NEVER sat down with an English teacher to review and correct one of their papers.

 

I was sitting in the teachers lounge one day with a foreign language teacher and the term predicate nominative came up. The English Department Chair sitting next to us, in all sincerity, ask what the hell a predicate nominate was.

 

I learned more grammar from my Latin classes than I ever did in English classes.

 

Having said that, I couldn't remember what a "predicate nominative" was and had to Google it. (Disclaimer: it's been over 40 years since I my college days.)

 

But...it seems a pretty esoteric bit of knowledge, and I'm not sure that knowing the term really conveys an advantage or helps anyone to comunicate more effectively.